blog sugar ....

here is the hostess with the mostess -

RACHEL from  No. 17 cherry tree lane...

she did the networking. she did the emailing. and she did the planning.

and we all did the gabbing...

 rachel graciously hosted a get-together at her house and invited all of the blogging women that she and others had come across in the orange county area.

she opened up her home to all of us, some complete strangers to one another, others friends from high school or neighborhood friends.

i was a stranger to everyone and admittedly felt a bit nervous before arriving,

but once there -- with all those great women, and LOTS of de-lish sugary treats, i soon felt right at home!

when i awoke the next morning and read this little book that i read each day that has inspiring quotes and what not, this is what the day said...

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. 

so so true in the case of Blog Sugar! 

so yes, i came in as a stranger, but left knowing i had just created new friendships. 

if you've come across some bloggers that you realize are "neighbors," follow rachel's lead and reach out to these gals and get together. it was so inspiring to share stories and reasons for blogging, the names behind the titles of our blogs, and especially to put REAL faces with these blogs that we've become such fans of.

just two more weeks....

i did the math in my head this morning and realized my baby, my izzy-belle, is just two weeks away from her FIRST birthday. i am in shock. i knew it was soon  and i've been working on her birthday party decorations, but when you slap that "two weeks" to the actual date, well, that is arriving just way too quickly for my liking.  i still catch myself saying "i just had a baby..." um, yeah, almost 365 days ago! since she decided she wanted to start walking at 10 months in effort to keep up with all the big kids that she's surrounded by, the newborn-ness went away even quicker than i had expected.

izzy, with your new walking shoes that look oh so cute on you as waddle around on your own little journey, let's take these next two weeks a bit slow, ok sweet pea? no running in those shoes just quite yet. let mommy soak in these last two weeks before i have to call you my one year old.

i love you little one!

all 351 days of you!

my someday garage...

why is it that California homes do not have basements? i am sure my answer is just a google-search away, but unless researching that answer is going to miraculously create a basement underneath  my house, i don't care to take the time to answer my question. i've come to the conclusion that the midwest basement is a California garage. my garage is a DEEZAAAAASTER!!! it deserves it's own spelling of the word disaster because it is THAT bad! ok, not AS BAD as the random picture i found online, but bad enough to lead me to find a random online picture to post rather than fess up to my own mess and show you a real picture of my garage. AND bad enough that when my mom visits from Illinois, she in the most polite way mentions that i should seriously apply for one of those cleaning shows like "clean house" or whatever those de-cluttering home shows are. if i'd qualify, come on over, believe me, but the messy garage is somewhat of a sensitive topic with me. I defend myself to whoever comments (the "good" friends and neighbors have learned to bite their tongue) that my husband moved me here from the midwest and that i had a basement that ran the width of my house - HUGE - tv room, extra bedroom with full bath, storage beyond storage, -even storage areas that i didn't even have to use -- anyone seeing my garage right now would think i was a bit fat liar on that one! but yes, the basement comes in quite handy for things you just might want to hang on to.


i have managed to keep a carpeted toy area for the girls, ever since moving in 4 years ago, and they have toys galore, but for "some reason" they still migrate to my next door neighbor's who has the spotless, well-organized, no distractions, allows-you-to-spread-out-and-play, everything labeled, educational garage. No, i  am not jealous, can you tell? so it is my goal, yet for another year, to get that garage in a functional state. and by that i don't mean a car will ever be parked in the garage - that's a rarity in California it seems, but funtional for the toy room and my piles of craft supplies.


i took izzy a walk in her stroller the other day and while walking away from my own deesaaaasterous garage, i decided to be the nosey neighbor and take inventory of every garage that i passed that was opened. here is what i discovered for the purposes of California garages:

- a storage unit for 6 motorcycles

-a home for a woman's wedding floral business on the weekends

- an office complete with a computer, desk, tv and bookshelves (accompained by a very old broken down car adjacent to the office)

- a storage unit for boxes and more boxes and what must be even her neighbor's boxes because no one should own that many boxes.

-a workout area with a spotless checkered tile floor with a treadmill and tv hanging from the ceiling - that's it, just a treadmill and nice shiny floor. once again, not jealous.

-a storage unit for strollers - from what i could see, there were 6 strollers in this garage.

- a storage unit for furniture - couch, 2 chairs, dining room hutch, various dining room chairs, a bed frame - basically, enough furniture to house a 2nd home.

-another home for a floral business (who has a floral shop nearby our home but needs the garage for even more storage)

I am happy to report that i returned from my walk a little relieved that i am not suffering alone in this messy garage-missing-my-midwest-basement syndrome. (well, possibly i am alone in missing the basement part as some haven't had the luxury of a basement.) i do have a pile the size of my sequoia waiting for this weekend's garage sale, and i did tackle my many teaching crates from my previous years of teaching and weeded out quite a bit of supplies for the sale this weekend - so see, it's all good! i am not going to qualify for the decluttering shows, and my girls are going to love their someday organized toy room ..again, someday. until then, dreaming of this...

dreaming and dreaming...

but still smiling!

I Certainly did say YES

Woohoo! It's finally here! 

My first blog party!

 Link up and share your story of

"I said YES!"

 Share those romantic proposal stories

..and everyone loves pictures too!

Jason and I had met just 8 months before our engagement. I was his waitress one evening in a bar, where I worked at night (teacher by day) to help make ends meet in the expensive city of Chicago. And I always add, that I gave him my number and persued him (and i rewrote my name and number three times before being satisfied with my handwriting - cheeseball?-that's me!) . A fast engagement, yes, but just one of those "we just knew it was right" kind of relationships.

 We were dating long distance at the time, me living in Chicago and him, in California, having moved there only two months into our meeting and dating. He came in on a May 16th, 2001 and that Friday after I finished teaching, he was waiting for me at my apartment. And I might add that he opened the wine a bit before I got there as well – which was later excused by his nervousness. I thought we were going out to meet some friends for a bit of a happy hour, but instead we cabbed to the restaurant where we had our very first date, The Pepper Lounge, which was right down the street from Wrigley Field, and sadly, is no longer opened.

We were the only ones in the restaurant, as it was before opening hours, so I had a suspicion then, BUT when he ordered a cocktail and requested extra onions in the drink, I thought no way is tonight the night if he is going to load up on onions! Funny the petty thoughts we girls can drum up! But instead of our ordered cocktails, the waitress brought out a bottle of Veuve champagne and inside the champagne glass was a gorgeous sparkly diamond ring. Down on one knee before I could even blink, Jason proposed and I was more than honored to say YES!

Outside we had a limo waiting for us and my one huge regret is that we spent the entire limo ride calling everyone on his cell phone to announce our news.

 I know we were caught up in the moment, but the limo ride was over before I knew it and we hadn’t spent time together soaking in our moment just to ourselves. Oh well!

We then arrived at the United Center where Bono and his boys were waiting to put on the most fabulous U2 concert . Jason, knowing that I love U2 right up there with how much I love him, got tickets with some friends and we celebrated throughout the night. Cubs game the next day with my parents ! I remember it being a fabulous weekend and being so proud to be his fiancé. It was also a weekend of accepting “new beginnings” because I knew it meant leaving my “familiar” and moving to California to start our life together there.

A year later – June 8, 2002 – the new Smiths

With 8 years of marriage under us this June, I am so blessed to call Jason my husband. I am a lucky girl who is loved and cared for by one wonderful man!

And the kisses and laughter are still present!

your turn! Share your engagement story and link up below! you can post up until Sunday the 14th, Valentine's Day - Remember to visit all of the blogs to read their stories - that's the whole point of it all!
Happy Valentine's Day!

welcome 2010

happy new year friends!

our neighborhood noon day party was a success with the little guests - and oh so cute to see them all dressed up for the event --too many cute pictures to share so i'll save you a few minutes and share them in a collage.

there is nothing better than seeing little girls be just that..Little Innocent Girls!

I am not sure any of them are at the age of understanding the concept of the new year, yet they just appreciated the opportunity to flaunt their princess gear for a few hours.

A cute story for me that happened during the party  - a neighbor, and good friend of mine, attended with her little girls and while talking, she informed me that she is a fan of my blog. As she watched her oldest daughter load on the sprinkles and more sprinkles to her sundae, she laughed and commented  that she was trying to LET GO just as my blog post had influenced her to do - (read that post here) but admitted she was struggling to do so as the ice cream became covered with more and more sugar - but she managed to do so, and as you can see below, her daughter was all smiles with her sprinkle-covered sundae. It always makes you feel good to know that you've influenced someone, even if it's in a wee little way.

with a little mom assistance, the girls each made the handprints keepsake ornaments that I had previously posted about before Christmas.

can't think of a better way to start the year than to put smiles on all of these beautiful little faces!

Balboa Island ...

Want to take a tour of one of the best light displays around?

WELCOME to BALBOA ISLAND,

California. 

Clark Griswold would be in heaven in this neighborhood! It's a popular attraction in this area and definitely a must-see!

• 
  
  this house has a carousel of the reindeers on it's roof -it's of course all lit and rotates - complete with Rudolph and his red nose leading the pack!
  
  
  

and directly across from their house is their equally festive boat dock!

...and as you are walking, your "everyday" Christmas boat just passes by...

love the penguins at this house and snow mounds

this is the entrance to someone's house - this is a REAL tree that has had the back cut off of it and is then hanging above their front door -- gorgeous or what???

and isn't every boat house turned into a Gingerbread House for Christmas? the girls wanted to enter it, but there is a sign that says "elves only."  We took that as do not enter.

surfer style house!

A rotating tree and a snow machine made this house attract a crowd in front

and our happy little troop enjoyed their evening!

i think i'll add a few strands of lights to my "after Christmas sale" shopping, especially

since Maddie informed me that our "gold lights are boring"

I have a long way to go to matching up to these neighbors but it's great motivation!

TWO MORE DAYS

Special Day Tuesday...

It's a significant day today --

my lovebug of a dog, Java, turns EIGHT today - I remember when we went to look at the litter and of course they were all adorable -- and I said to Jason, just my fiance at the time, " we are not getting a dog!"  We then passed a coffee shop called Hot Java and I followed that comment with "...But if we do, we are naming her Java." We were dog owners by January. She's just another member of the family - can't really remember what it was like not having her with us and love having her company and snuggles...

So Happy BIRTHDAY Java Lulu!

...and my sister-in-law, equally as lovely, is the BIG 30 today! I can't believe how time has passed. The very first Christmas that Jason and I shared together, he was flying to Vegas from Chicago to celebrate her 21st birthday. Wasn't that just a couple of years ago? ? ? Her brother is 7 1/2 years older than his sister so she was always the "little sister." Now married, and with 30 to her name and her first baby arriving in February, she seems to have caught up with us and isn't such the little sister anymore...

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY SISTER-IN-LAW!

and last but not least...

my husband is

spending the day with a bag of peas!

and WHY I feel I can just share his vasectomy with the whole world, I am not sure but it's been the topic of conversation in our house all month. To me, it's a bit of reality and sadness digesting that we are indeed done having more children. I would definitely have another child if he was on board, but more importantly, if the finances were on board. But we are soooooooooo extremely blessed with our three daughters -- the first two, the twins, Mia and Maddie, giving us a real battle and long road to actually accomplishing pregnancy, and our last, Izzy, surprising us out of nowhere with no medical assistance whatsoever.

So I am ok with the day of peas and it was mututally agreed upon. Although he's ok with the purpose of it, he is anticipating  procedure to be something like the two c-sections that I had. Do I even need to go there? I am just going to bite my lip all day and give him the babying and love that he needs. It's just another chapter in our lives. 

And after panicking while midway through this post, about whether or not I even have a bag of frozen peas, I just discovered that it might be a day spent with green beans instead! Cold is cold, right?

why do i do it?

am i the ONLY one that gets horribly excited to find great coupons on Sundays for makeup products? like the 2.00 off a product or buy one get one half off, and then double that with CVS or walgreen's in-store sale as well ?
when i am needing a pick-me-up, or particularly, right after i just dropped $140 on my highlights and i am feeling oh so pretty (for these hair prices lately, i should feel way more than just pretty!) i head to the drugstore in pursuit of a new lipstick!  preferably walgreens, because, i know i talk about it waaaaay too much, but it's a midwest store and i am just used to it and love it and it's a piece of home for me when i visit there....but back to the lipstick, it makes me so happy to get a new lipstick. i am really obsessed with lipglosses -- my girlfriends here could tell you that one - i always have some new flavor going on and love to tell you about my newest find - last year's philosphy red velvet cake was the obsession around Christmas time.
the minute i get back in the car, i have that sucker opened and am trying it on in the rearview mirror. and if i've bought 3 of them, it's wipe it off, put on the new one, and same thing for the third new flavor.

BUT here is the problem when i get lipstick ....

now why on Earth do i even bother? they are ALL the same boring brown color. i have even brought home tubes that i have bought already 1 or 2 times before, only to have it still sitting in the makeup basket, never used. why can't i stray from the norm? just a tad bit?

i'm more of a drugstore girl when i comes to makeup - if it's something higher end, its after spending an hour in sephora trying on every type of makeup in sight until you finally feel chapped all over your eyes and lips and cheeks from wiping it off and then reapplying the next chosen item. so i've spent $2 to $30 for the "perfect lipstick?" but really, what is the point? i give up. it's brown for  me forever. even mia, who is carrying on my lipgloss obsession at the young lovely age of 4 1/2 (dear God what's ahead for me?),  asked why i can't have princess pink or red lipstick in my collection? maybe i'll just have to give that princess pink a try, for her benefit sometime soon. bring on the makeup remover, i can already feel it!